Mail Online pays substantial damages to teacher after Katie Hopkins wrongly said she took children to Trump protest

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Mail Online has apologised and paid “substantial damages” plus legal costs to a teacher libelled in a Katie Hopkins column.

The column was published on 5 February 2017 and wrongly stated that Jackie Teale had taken her class to protest against Donald Trump outside Westminster. In fact she took a banner made by some of her 12-year-old pupils to the protest.

Responding to a column from Hopkins which said UK anti-Trump protesters were: “unemployed, unwashed child-neglectors” Teale replied on Twitter: “I went after a 12-hour day at work, to take a banner made by some of my Year 8 pupils who have more heart (and brain) than you.”

Hopkins retweeted this and said: “I fear for young minds, brainwashed by liberals pushing their agenda…8?”

Teale said the poster actually showed the quote from Martin Luther King: “I have a dream”.

“An article published in Katie Hopkins’ column on 5 February 2017 reported that Jackie Teale, a teacher, had taken her class to a protest against Donald Trump outside Westminster. We are happy to make clear that that statement was wrong. It was in fact a banner made by some of her twelve-year-old pupils which she took to the protest. We apologise to Ms Teale for this error and have agreed to pay Ms Teale substantial damages and legal costs.”